The Lufthansa Group and Air China have signed a wide-reaching partnership agreement which will enable the two groups to jointly operate all connections between Europe and China as part of a commercial joint venture. The two companies will thus implement what they agreed to do as part of a memorandum of understanding in summer 2014. 

The joint venture aims to significantly expand their mutual code-sharing connections and enhance their commercial partnership. This will allow the Lufthansa Group to continue pursuing its partnership-driven Asia strategy. Following a joint venture with All Nippon Airlines (ANA) and a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, which was signed in November 2015, the agreement represents the Lufthansa Group’s third enhanced partnership in Asia.

The Lufthansa Group’s joint venture with the flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China is particularly significant as it strengthens the presence of Lufthansa Group airlines in the second-most important aviation market in the world. Together with the Transatlantic trilateral joint venture partnership with United Airlines and Air Canada, the Lufthansa Group now covers the world’s most important intercontinental markets as part of its joint venture activities. Around half of Lufthansa’s long-haul flights are now covered by joint ventures.

Lufthansa Group and Air China say they plan to cooperate more closely in the future, including better coordination of flight timetables.They also aim to offer common fares, modify corporate programmes to improve the products available to corporate customers and examine the opportunities for optimisation with regard to existing connections in frequent flyer programmes.

In addition to Lufthansa and Air China, the agreement extends to Lufthansa subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines. 

The commercial joint venture is scheduled to commence at the start of the 2017 summer flight timetable.